90 Gallon Build....

C

CarolynM

Yippee! Tax season is over and now I can get to work setting up my new 90 gallon (well new for me - I bought this setup off of Charles (charlesha11) in the for sale forum).

Here is the tank empty, note how well the cabinet matches my kitchen cabinetry, I couldn't have asked for a better match! The tank will actually set up right where the hex tank is in the picture - part will be on the wall and part will stick out into the kitchen.
 
I bought some live rock off of Don (Aquaticspecialties) on Friday as well as box full of caribsea "look-alive" dry base rock". I've got the rock stuck in the sump awaiting addition of sand and water to the tank. I also secured 2 bags of aragonite sand from Captnbunzo which along with my existing sand in the 45 should make a good substrate.

Here are the pics:
 
I want to a pretty open aquascape in the 90 - I like bridges and caves, and want most of the tank to look good from both sides and the ends.

My questions:

1. I've seen some put eggcrate on the bottom glass and then the sand on top - is this recommended? Does it add stability? Any downside?

2. Securing Rock - If I want bridges, is it recommended to use PVC -or with good engineering (and a lot of time fitting and jiggling) can a secure structure be created without PVC? How about epoxying pieces together?

Please set me straight...as always I'm looking to learn from everyone else's experience.
 
Carolyn,

Nice tank, it does match kitchen cabinetry!

If you're buying the sand from Captnbunzo gb be sure to sift it good while it is dry before adding to tank, there was a lot of rocks and shells in mine. I didn't take the time to rid them and now I have a not so smooth looking SB.

Good luck, keep us posted.

Gail
 
putting plastic in the bottom really only provides something to break other then glass if something falls IMHO.

If you have access to a drill get a rock bit and drill a bunch of holes in it to mount pieces together using the hard airline tubing. Works great for adding little coral mounts to the larger pieces of live rock. There are a couple posts on this forum and reefcentral on it. I'll check later to see if I can find one but I know scottj did a very good on on the subject. I think the bit size is 3/16" but better check the forums

plus I'll see about adding a pic later today

as for arches etc, some peopel use pvc but IMO it takes away from the looks and creates large space for stagnate water, also there is an interesting worm incedent you shuold read on reef central - again, I'll have to try and find the post later - kind of busy right now.

Don't count out lace lava rock for a nice thin curving arch. You can pick some up at most rock yards but just clean it real good and soak it in water for a week or so (salt or fresh) and check ph untill it's in an acceptable range.

good luck and the tank is looking great. I really like how it matches up with the kitchen cabinetry.
 
I recommend Acrylic rods, I got some from regal plastic, and they are strong and easy to cut. I have some nice aquascaping, I need to post a pic some day.
 
Yes do post a picture....I'm looking for nice 90 aquascape shots. I'm thinking I'll skip putting anything down on the bottom and will try drilling the rock and using either thin pvc or plastic rods to hold them together.

How do you experts go about constructing a nice rock aquascape with live rock? Base rock is easy - I can do a dry run but the live rock it's in two different tanks right now. Do you just bite the bullet one day, and do it...

I guess if nothing is going down on bottom, I am ready to start rinsing sand and getting that in place and then making lots of water...
 
lol you should make the trip to my place, need to pay for that nano and
i can give you tons of tips and you can see the tank :)
 
Here is the start ...sand is in (except for live sand from old tank). Base rock is in..what do you all think? Will this make a good base structure for the live rock on top? I haven't drilled anything yet as it all fits very well...but I may use the rods for the live rock...
 
Here is is yesterday after moving my live rock over from my 45 and adding some I'd bought - I found I had too much live rock. I stirred up such a mess I couldn't see a thing. I"ll have to play with the aquascape once I can see.

Hmmm...looks like I'm playing mud pie. I got my Mag 12 running only to find it drains the sump quicker than the drain fills it. One more trip to Home Depot and I have a ball valve to throttle it back. I put socks on the drain and a bit of pillow stuffing in the sump baffles in hopes of getting the silt sifted out.
 
And here we are this morning. I added coral and fish last night when the mudstorm has subsided some. I need to aquascape -take some rocks out put some others in but the general layout is close to where I want it.

I'll need to get the silt off the rocks - I should have rinsed the rocks off with a powerhead before putting them in the tank -live and learn!

I need to push the rock island on the left back a bit - I've provided too many good fish hiding spots there between the return and rock. :? I'll never see my fish! On the right I need to take out some rock - I had some pieces with coral on them that I had to get in the tank but will remove coral so I can aquascape some.
 
ah, the joy of settin up a new tank, lots of fun and a lil aggrevation, lol, looking good, i thought of doin the island thing too, i have a 90 myself with a couple caves, just rocks stacked, and everything is fine. take a look at the zip file i attached, there are a few shots of my tank. not great ones i cant find my digi cam so its just my cell phone.
 
Thanks for the pics - it's always nice to see what other people do with similar tanks. Your fish selection looks very similar to what I plan. I like your ideas -I have to do a lot of work to get mine where I want it but for now will leave it alone to let the fish and water get settled, and then I'll play some more!
 
ye, i actually had mine for about 6 months or so and then i took out the rock, and redid it all.
 
If I could offer some advice.


Tee off the output from your mag, and run the ball valve to a hose, or hard PVC and dump it back to the sump rather than just throttle back the pump.

If you just try to dial back your flow you're just going to increase the pressure on the head and not really do yourself any favors.

I ran a hose out from my MAG to a "TEE" and then ran one leg of the tee to the tank, and the other leg of the tee to a ball valve, and then onto the sump. That way, I can open the ball valve to the sump a little to reduce flow a little bit, or I can open it all the way and closed loop cycle my fuge.
 
I worked on the tank some more last week knowing I needed things in place for the frag swap...this is what it looked like after the new aquascape (and before frag swap)
 
And a pic I took last night of my yellow polyps. I had fed my fish and was really shocked to see that the yellow polyps had snagged a frozen mysis! These are the yellow polyps purchased from Tangalone about a week ago -they are very happy indeed!
 
Nice build thread. It'll look better as it matures and grows in. Are you thinking about putting a background on the back glass?
 
No background planned as 1/2 of the tank is a room divider -it'll look better when I get a cabinet behind it and perhaps I need to put a blue siding on my fridge LOL.

Took some pics today, it's coming along!
 
Some more pics - I've never been able to get any decent shots, and then I got several OK shots today. Perhaps I'm beginning to figurie this camera out (Minolta DG-5D)
 
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